Colo. 93 widening clears way for underpass south of Boulder

Crossing at Community Ditch Trail fulfills longtime open space goal

Looking east at Community Ditch Trail and Colo. 93, south of Boulder. The city of Boulder, Boulder County and Colorado Department of Transportation are planning an underpass at the trail crossing.
(CLIFF GRASSMICK)

A Colorado Department of Transportation project to add six-foot shoulders to Colo. 93 has provided the opportunity to build an underpass at a dangerous trail crossing south of Boulder.

Community Ditch Trail crosses Colo. 93 south of the intersection with Marshall Road. A guardrail on one side of the highway means cyclists and pedestrians have to cross at an angle. The visibility is poor, and cars are traveling at high speeds.

"It's an incredibly hazardous crossing," said Jason Vogel, president of the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance. "Every time you come from the east and the west, you have to look both ways and pray no one is speeding."

Building some sort of crossing there has been a goal of open space officials and trail users for more than two decades.

Despite the perceived hazard, there haven't been many accidents at the trail crossing. City officials said they have just one on record in which a dog was a hit.

That had led CDOT officials to be hesitant to approve a crossing at the location or approve closures to the highway that will be necessary to construct the underpass.

But now, CDOT plans to start a project this summer to redo the asphalt and install six-foot-wide shoulders between Marshall Road and Colo. 128.

City and county officials have entered into an agreement with CDOT for the contractor to also construct an underpass to allow pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists to get from one side of the highway to the other without interacting with cars.

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The city will pay $1.1 million for the underpass. The rest of the roughly $6.7 million project cost will be split between Boulder County and CDOT.

The underpass also provides an important connection in the proposed Trail Around Boulder.

Peter Bakwin, a Boulder ultrarunner and treasurer of the Boulder Outdoor Coalition, said the shoulder-widening will help cyclists and give them safer access to Golden Gate Canyon and Clear Creek Canyon.

"It opens up a whole area for road cycling that hasn't really been available," Bakwin said.

The trail crossing will also be a big improvement, he said.

"Scurrying across 93 there is like taking your life in your hands," he said.

The construction project is expected to take about a year to complete. Any required highway closures will be coordinated with the rest of the construction work.

Jim Reeder, land and visitor services division manager for Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, said the underpass, which is being designed by Boulder County, will be tall enough for equestrians to use.

The city is selling 2.7 acres of open space along the highway as right-of-way to CDOT for $81,000.

"I ride on these trails not infrequently, and it's definitely scary to cross that road there," said Councilwoman Suzanne Jones. "This is huge. This is great. This will be an important upgrade both for safety and for enjoyability of that trail system."

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